


A Regrettable Necessity

by twilightstarr



Series: Broken Birds [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Missing Scene, Other, Other because im not sure whether or not it should be gen honestly, T for being vaguely kinky, implied reyson/tibarn, sometime between chapter 17 and 19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-25 21:54:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19754518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twilightstarr/pseuds/twilightstarr
Summary: Tibarn comes to express his disapproval to Naesala after the incident with Duke Tanas.





	A Regrettable Necessity

Tibarn entered the meeting room to find Naesala looking infuriatingly bored. "Hello Tibarn," he greeted, not bothering to fix his slouch.

He glared and crossed his arms. "You sold Reyson to Oliver," he began with no preamble.

"Yes."

For a few seconds of silence, Tibarn waited, expecting more that didn't come. "Is that all you have to say about it?" he demanded.

"I'm not going to waste our time denying it."

"You dare act so casual about it," he stepped closer, towering over Naesala, "like it was nothing to you!"

"What do you want me to say?"

At that, he leaned even closer, putting a bit of weight on Naesala's chair. He straightened in response, but that was the extent of his reaction. Naesala was accustomed to Tibarn being irritated with him and knew he wouldn't cross the line he would have to in order to really frighten him.

"I want you to make a pathetic attempt to explain yourself."

"Fine. Sit down, won't you?"

"No."

"Alright," Naesala sighed. "I don't think Duke Tanas would have simply given up if I had declined his offer. He would have tried to find someone else to do the job, and that someone would not have been able to bring him along without a fight, knowing Reyson. I had a plan to rescue Reyson myself, which would have worked if not for him escaping on his own." He glanced up at Tibarn. "Will that do?"

No, it wouldn't. What he'd wanted, really, was something real, something with a fragment of an actual emotion in it. This was still too smooth and polished, like glass Tibarn wanted to shatter.

"You could have just kicked that scumbag's ass out of Kilvas and been done with it."

"Oh no, he's far too lucrative to cut ties with." He heard the small scratch of Tibarn's nails as his hand tensed around the chair and couldn't help but smirk. There was always something satisfying about getting on his nerves. The fun of it was probably one of the reasons Naesala never bothered trying to keep him out, if he were to be honest.

"And that's more important to you than _Reyson's wellbeing_?" Tibarn was tempted to strangle him sometimes--not to kill, but enough to make him submit. He always refrained though, because giving in to that urge would cost him the moral high ground he claimed, and perhaps, ultimately, he didn't truly want to hurt Naesala--that much.

"Well, he was alright in the end, right?"

Tibarn almost replied, but then thought to hold back and see what happened.

"Tibarn?" Reyson had to be fine, right? Nothing could come between Tibarn and him. Naesala had been certain he could rely that.

Tibarn pulled back and still didn't speak.

Naesala stood and faced him. "What happened?!"

He was genuinely worried. Good. It was Tibarn's turn to smirk. "He's safe."

Naesala let out a breath of relief.

"Just had to make sure you still have a heart in there somewhere. I thought so, but it's getting harder to tell these days."

"That was cruel of you," Naesala complained.

" _You_ have no place telling _me_ about cruelty after what you've done," Tibarn pointed out, with a fierce stare Naesala couldn't meet.

"I suppose that's true," he admitted. "Thank you, for protecting Reyson." In this instance, and in general, really.

"You're welcome. Thanks for leaving me with the potential political fallout with Begnion I would have had to deal with if were less lucky." After getting some sincerity and a shred of remorse out of Naesala, he wasn't furious anymore, but still annoyed, and that came out as sarcasm.

"A regrettable necessity."

"So you can keep your _lucrative_ depraved associates."

"That's part of it." The smallest part, really.

"I'm done with you," Tibarn concluded, turning to leave.

"Tell him I'm sorry," Naesala said on impulse.

He stopped, glanced. "Are you?"

"Yes."

"Then tell him in person."

"Can't right the moment. I'm afraid I'm going to be busy." It was true. He had business with Daein. He wasn't about to explain that though, so it sounded like an excuse.

Tibarn had been considering informing Naesala that, if he wanted to find Reyson, he had joined with the group of decent beorc mercenaries who'd conveniently turned up and fought the duke's army on the young empress's behalf--that same group the ravens had attacked in Phoenician waters and left stranded on Goldoa's shore, by the way--but decided he didn't feel like telling that whole story. "Coward." He left.


End file.
